Mayoral Column 20 March 2017

Published on 20 March 2017

Clean up message receives mixed response

Be courteous to your neighbour. No one wants to live or work beside an unsightly property.

How are we going to attract repeat tourism if our townships are marred by unsightly properties littered with rusty machinery and cars, rotting mattresses, old tyres and other dilapidated and unused material?

This is the message which led a Mayoral Column I wrote in August last year, after a visual assessment of properties across the municipality identified 100 as requiring action under Council’s unsightly property assessment matrix.

By November, 75 properties remained unsightly and clean up notices were issued to residents whose properties had become eye-sores.

Since then we’ve had a mixed response, with around 50 per cent of those issued a notice completing an adequate clean-up, and I thank them for their cooperation.

A number of the remaining 50 per cent of property owners have made a start but have more to do, while a small number have ignored the clean-up notice altogether.

Residents who have remained apathetic, with little or nothing having been done, will shortly receive a formal notice to comply with the local law to tidy their properties.

Failure to do so can incur penalty infringement notices.

Council is also able to direct staff or contractors to complete the clean-up at the property owner’s expense.

If your property has been identified as unsightly and you have not rectified the issue I would urge you to do so immediately.

If you have any questions regarding the notice please contact Council’s local laws officer on 5494 1200.

It’s time to take pride in where we live and work together to make Loddon Shire an even better place to call home.

Join the 5 to 8 Club

Have you heard about the 5 to 8 Club?

The Club, coordinated by Council’s Community Services team, helps residents aged 50 and over to enjoy life to the full.

Several exciting activities are on the Club’s social calendar over the coming months and we would love to see as many residents as possible join in the fun.

A trip to the Melbourne Flower Show is scheduled for Thursday 30 March and an excursion to My Fair Lady the musical is planned for Wednesday 31 May.

If outings such as these could suit you, or someone you know, I would encourage you to find out more about the 5 to 8 Club.

Details can be obtained by contacting Council’s Social Support Coordinator Linda Canfield at the Serpentine Office on 5437 7999.

Time to register your pets

Cat and dog registration time has rolled around again, and renewal notices are arriving in pet owners’ mail boxes.

Renewal notices, to be paid by April 10, have been posted to the owners of 3729 dogs and 724 cats registered with Loddon Shire Council in the last financial year.

Sadly we know there are many more cats and dogs within the Shire which we have no record of, and are unable to return should they go astray.

During the last financial year, Council impounded 158 cats with only a small number able to be identified and returned to their owner.

This figure was better for dogs with 40 of the 53 impounded being safely returned home and the remainder being rehoused.

The simple fact is if a cat or dog isn’t micro-chipped and registered they cannot be identified and reunited with their owner.

In the best interests of your pet, your family and the community, please ensure your registration renewal is paid by the due date.

Every dog and cat over the age of three months must be registered.

Dogs and cats being registered for the first time with Council are required to provide evidence that they have a microchip.

If you have an unregistered pet in your care, please take this opportunity to contact Council and rectify the situation as soon as possible, without fear of penalty.

Further information on pet registration can be obtained by contacting Council’s Local Laws team on 5494 1200.